NHL Games of the Week: Saturday, January 7th to Friday, January 13th

Nazem Kadri #43 of the Toronto Maple Leafs has a shot tip wide of Antti Raanta #32 of the New York Rangers during an NHL game at the Air Canada Centre on February 18, 2016 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Rangers defeated the Maple Leafs 4-2.

Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images

Mick Kern from NHL Network Radio here. We’re running down the must-hear NHL games of the week, including Minnesota at Anaheim and the Leafs visiting the Rangers:

Nobody’s been hotter in sports recently than the Columbus Blue Jackets, who reeled off an impressive win streak beginning in late November right through the Christmas break. That’s catapulted them into first place overall in the NHL. The Rangers aren’t that far behind, as both teams look to finish on top of the tough Metropolitan Division, and this battle of heavyweights would make more a great playoff series.

Until they met the Blue Jackets (and lost), the Wild were the hottest team in the NHL. Their recent 12-game winning streak has landed them right in the middle of the race for first place in the Central Division. The Ducks are once again in the battle for first in the Pacific Division, so this game tonight is a battle of heavyweights.

A tale of two Western Canadian cities trying to get back to the playoffs; tonight they meet up in the Manitoba capital for two points that’ll go a long way to determining that fate. On any given night, both teams can be world beaters. The problem has been consistency.

Many picked the Blues to win the Stanley Cup come this June. That remains to be seen, but St. Louis should be one of the playoff teams in the contentious Western Conference when the post-season begins in mid-April. Can the same thing be said about the Bruins in the Eastern Conference? They’re in the mix in the Atlantic Division, though many feel Boston can play better.

When these two teams meet up on ice, it’s almost always a great game. The defending Stanley Cup Champion Penguins are enjoying a great season, while the Caps are also in that mix in the Metropolitan Division. Pen’s captain Sidney Crosby is having another fantastic season.

This is a battle of two underachieving clubs this season. Both teams have had to deal with injuries to star players, and both teams know they can play better. But they’d better hurry up, before the season slips away.

While the Rangers are one of the top teams so far this season, the Maple Leafs are also worth watching. Led by a bumper crop of talented young players, Toronto seems to be in every game, though they’ve had their troubles holding to hold on to third period leads.